Departmental Recycling

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) paper,  (b) plastic and  (c) other waste has been produced by his Department in each of the last three years; and how much of that waste was recycled.

Geoff Hoon: The figures for the Department for Transport for the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			   Total waste (Tonnes)  Recycled waste (Tonnes)  Waste recycled (Percentage) 
			 2005-06 4,300 3,014 70.1 
			 2006-07 3,878 2,214 57.1 
			 2007-08 3,711 2,015 54.3 
		
	
	Very few parts of the Department for Transport are able to calculate the specific volumes of paper and plastic waste generated. However, the following data represents the departmental figures for the specified waste streams.
	
		
			  Tonnes 
			   Recycled paper waste  Recycled plastic waste  Other waste recycled 
			 2005-06 1,325 4 1,685 
			 2006-07 1,297 4 913 
			 2007-08 1,227 5 783

Railways: Freight

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the development of railfreight interchanges will be subject to a National Planning Policy Statement under the Planning Act 2008.

Paul Clark: The development of strategic rail freight interchanges, as specified under the Planning Act 2008, will be part of a National Policy Statement.

Transport Innovation Fund

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1432W, on public transport: Greater Manchester, how many high quality Transport Innovation Fund proposals he has received.

Paul Clark: We continue to work with a number of other authorities as they consider their congestion problems and the role that demand management, including road pricing, alongside better public transport could play in tackling them and, if appropriate, develop proposals.

Internet

Jo Swinson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 995-6W, on the internet, on what date he estimates the better quality videos of the Parliamentary tour will be available for viewing on YouTube.

Nick Harvey: Following the review of the tour videos against editorial standards for quality and accuracy, it has been decided that, in their current form, the videos do not meet the required standards and that some additional filming will probably be required. The films will not therefore be ready to be relaunched in the immediate future. No date has yet been set as the work is still being scoped, but they will be put back on the website as soon as this work has been done.

Members: Pensions

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the House of Commons Commission has set a target for the time within which hon. Members' enquiries regarding their pensions are to be responded to.

Chris Bryant: I have been asked to reply.
	The administration of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund is a matter for the Trustees. I have asked their chairman, Sir John Butterfill, to write to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter sent to his Department by the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead dated 29 October 2008, regarding tax credits.

Stephen Timms: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.

Pay

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 19 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 468-9W, in relation to what other groups  (a) HM Revenue and Customs and  (b) its predecessor bodies have conducted similar sample surveys.

Stephen Timms: Inland Revenue, and more recently HMRC, has carried out similar sample surveys in respect of general practitioners and NHS dentists. Results of recent surveys are published on The NHS Information Centre for health and social care website:
	http://www.ic.nhs.uk

Courts: Closures

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) courts and  (b) hearing centres have closed in each year since 1997.

Bridget Prentice: Up until the 1 April 2005 magistrates courts were the responsibility of locally managed magistrates courts committees who were statutorily independent. They were not required by statute to inform the Department of closures that were not subject to an appeal under section 56(3) of the Justices peace Act 1997 (now repealed).
	The following table shows details of court closures within Her Majesty's Courts' Service, (including Crown, magistrates and county courts) since 1997.
	
		
			   Closures 
			   Magistrates court  Crown court (satellites )  County court  Total court 
			 1997 21 1 8 30 
			 1998 25 0 6 31 
			 1999 7 1 2 10 
			 2000 13 0 4 17 
			 2001 30 0 1 31 
			 2002 7 0 2 9 
			 2003 13 0 0 13 
			 2004 2 0 0 2 
			 2005 0 0 0 0 
			 2006 1 0 1 2 
			 2007 2 1 0 3 
			 2008 2 0 0 2 
			 2009 to date 0 0 0 0 
			  
			 Total150

Prisons: Wind Power

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will commission research on the effect on  (a) prison security,  (b) the well being and health of prisoners and  (c) the safety and health of prison staff from (i) noise from, (ii) vibrations from and (iii) movement of wind turbines sited close to prisons.

David Hanson: The Departments for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, are responsible for Government policy on wind turbines and therefore for research about their impact on residential property and businesses in close proximity to them. The National Offender Management Service already reviews the security implications of wind turbines sited close to prisons and will conduct appropriate health and safety risk assessments on wind turbines that are already in place.

EU Battlegroups

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraph 107 of the Explanatory Memorandum of 11 December 2008 on the French Presidency Report on European Security and Defence Policy, European Union Document No. 16686/08, whether the generic preparation guide for EU battlegroups uses NATO standardisation agreements.

John Hutton: 26 EU member states are also members of NATO or NATO Partnership for Peace and therefore use NATO standardisation agreements. The EU Battlegroup preparation guide stipulates that
	"EU Battlegroup evaluation procedures and standards should, where applicable, be analogous to those defined within NATO, taking into account the specific nature of EU crisis management"
	(paragraph 70, page 16).

EU Battlegroups

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraph 107 of the Explanatory Memorandum of 11 December 2008 on the French Presidency Report on European Security and Defence Policy, European Union Document No. 16686/08, whether the British armed forces will use the generic preparations guide for EU battlegroups; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the guide.

John Hutton: The UK contributed to the formulation of the generic preparations guide for EU Battlegroups that was agreed under the French presidency for use on a voluntary basis by EU member states in accordance with the Battlegroup Concept. The UK's contributions to the EU's Battlegroup roster are prepared and certified nationally to standards that meet and exceed the ones set out in this and other documents agreed by the council. I will place a copy of the guide in the Library of the House.

EU Rapid Reaction Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to paragraph 106 of the Explanatory Memorandum of 11 December 2008 on the French Presidency Report on European Security and Defence Policy, European Union Document No. 16686/08, what  (a) resources and  (b) capabilities the UK has declared for the (i) Maritime Rapid Response Concept and (ii) Air Rapid Response Concept for 2009.

John Hutton: The Maritime Response Concept and the Air Rapid Response Concept are mechanisms to speed up the force generation process in the EU and do not indicate any standing forces. The UK has committed no capabilities or resources specifically to either concept but has set out in its response to the EU Headline Goal 2010 the forces, including maritime and air, that are potentially available for planning purposes for EU missions.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of contractors and suppliers to  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have reported that they are compliant with the Government's security standards following publication of the report, Data Handling Procedures in Government, and the accompanying document, Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action, on 25 June 2008.

Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the cost of collecting it would incur disproportionate cost. The FCO's Senior Information Risk Owner wrote to the FCO's main contractors in December 2008 reminding them of their responsibilities under the Data Handling Report in managing data securely. FCO contracts include new security clauses which are applicable to all contracts involving personal data.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 99-102WS, on what date Mr Ravi Gurumurthy was appointed.

Gillian Merron: Mr. Ravi Gurumurthy was seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 28 June 2007.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Billericay dated 28 October 2008 on the subject of the John Williams draft of the Iraq dossier.

Gillian Merron: I responded to the hon. Member on 19 January 2009.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy on the recent Arab Peace Initiative is.

Bill Rammell: The Arab Peace Initiative offers Israel recognition by, and normalisation of relations with, the 22 Arab League States as part of a comprehensive peace. The Government believe that it provides a positive vision for the progress in the Middle East Peace Process. We are working with the governments of Israel and of the Arab world to pursue a such comprehensive peace.

Departmental Data Protection

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of contractors and suppliers to his Department has reported compliance with the Government's security standards following publication of the report, Data Handling Procedures in Government, and the accompanying document, Cross-departmental Actions: Mandatory Minimum Action, on 25 June 2008.

Mike O'Brien: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was formed on 3 October 2008, bringing together policy responsibility for energy (formerly with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR)) and climate change (formerly with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)). The Department is not at present party to any contracts, as the Transfer of Function Order related to the creation of DECC has not yet come into force. Existing contracts related to energy and climate change matters will remain with BERR and Defra respectively until the Transfer of Function Order comes into force. Given that, I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 22 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1588W and by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 422W.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to reply to the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead's letter of 10 October 2008, that was transferred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on cavity wall insulation.

Joan Ruddock: I replied to the hon. Member on 20 January 2009 and apologise for the delay, which was due to departmental reorganisation.

Wind Power

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2009,  Official Report, columns 896-97W, on wind power, what assessment he has made of the contribution of operational wind turbines towards the Government's renewable energy targets.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 26 January 2009
	The UK has a domestic target of 10 per cent. of our electricity coming from renewable sources by 2010. In 2007, all renewables generated 19,664 GWh of electricity, or 5 per cent. of the UK's electricity.
	Of this, onshore wind generated 4,491 GWh. The contribution from onshore wind to overall UK electricity generation was 1.14 per cent.
	Offshore wind generated 783 GWh in 2007. The contribution from offshore wind to overall UK generation was 0.2 per cent.
	The contribution from onshore and offshore wind to overall UK generation was therefore 1.34 per cent.
	 Source: AEA Technology/RESTATS.
	It should be noted, however, that since this data was collated new projects have gone live in 2008—such as the 194MW Lynn and Inner Dowsing offshore wind farms and the 322MW Whitelee onshore wind farm. Generation data for these sites is not yet available.
	With the construction of Lynn and Inner Dowsing, the UK now has 598MW of offshore wind capacity, overtaking Denmark as world leader in this technology. This extra capacity also takes the UK over the 3GW mark of total installed onshore and offshore wind capacity.
	We are committed to increasing the use of wind power far beyond 3GW over the next few decades. The step change in the policy and measures necessary to achieve this are already in train or being developed.
	The UK Government support the agreement that has been reached between the Council and European Parliament following the Council in December 2008 that 20 per cent. of EU energy consumption should come from renewable energy sources by 2020. In the UK this equates to a 15 per cent. target by 2020.
	To meet this target, we consulted on a draft UK Renewable Energy Strategy last summer. We sought stakeholders' views on a wide range of measures, including further development of wind power, to help meet our share of the EU target. We will publish our finalised Renewable Energy Strategy later this year.
	We also have a range of measures already in place to bring on more renewables development, including onshore and offshore wind, in order to meet our targets. For example, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in the pre-Budget report that we would be extending the Renewables Obligation (RO) until 2037. This will ensure that investors can plan with confidence for the future so that over the next decade the market will continue to deliver the renewables projects that we need to achieve our 2020 target.
	This Department will also be launching an Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED), one of a suite of new low-carbon offices, as a one-stop-shop for business and other stakeholders aimed at removing supply chain barriers to renewables deployment. ORED will also have a strong role to play in tackling other deployment barriers related to grid, planning and raising public awareness.
	Other measures include the launch this year of tenders under the Offshore Transmission Regime, to enable more offshore wind power to be connected to the grid. The Transmission Access Review will also enable more onshore wind to get early connection dates.
	In summary, we are working across policy areas to increase wind developments: planning, financial incentives, business development and grid infrastructure. These measures will ensure wind power plays a full part in meeting our carbon budgets and energy supply needs in 2020 and beyond.

Members: Correspondence

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister for the Olympics when she plans to reply to the letters of 6 November 2008 and 14 January 2009 from the hon. Member for Forest of Dean on Olympic events for women cyclists, reference SP2318.

Tessa Jowell: I will reply to the hon. Member's letter early next week. I apologise for the delay.

Departmental Marketing

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on advertising in the last five years;
	(2)  with reference to the Answer of 12 November 2008, on departmental marketing, how much his Department spent on advertising in the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The following table provides details of the Northern Ireland Office's advertising expenditure, excluding agencies and NDPBs, in the last five years.
	
		
			   Advertising expenditure (£) 
			 2003-04 372,922 
			 2004-05 548,451 
			 2005-06 159,146 
			 2006-07 190,204 
			 2007-08 454,075 
		
	
	The increase in 2007-08 was largely due to a public advertising campaign for fireworks safety, funded by Firearms and Explosives Branch. Expenditure in this campaign included creative, agency and production costs as well as media advertising, promotion, education packs and initiatives for schools.

Jobcentres: Scotland

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were employed in job centres in each  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) local authority area in Scotland on (i) 1 January 2008 and (ii) 1 January 2009.

Tony McNulty: The information is not available broken down by constituency or local authority area.

Community Relations: Islam

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 294W, on community relations: Islam, if she will place in the Library a copy of the report by the Change Institute on Understanding Muslim Ethnic Communities.

Sadiq Khan: Communities and Local Government has commissioned the Change Institute to conduct research on Understanding Muslim Ethnic Communities. This work has not yet been completed.

Departmental Billing

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Winchester of 18 December 2008,  Official Report, column 1044W, on billing, if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's letter to its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Sadiq Khan: The information has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Departmental Correspondence

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State plans to reply to the letters of 4 December and 30 December from the hon. Member for Forest of Dean on the fees levied by local authorities in respect of discharge of planning conditions, reference FD5970.

Iain Wright: I replied to the hon. Member's correspondence on 2 February 2009.

Departmental Databases

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 300W, on departmental databases, how ACORN data are used in relation to  (a) her Department's House Price Index,  (b) local authority formula grant distribution and  (c) the citizenship survey; and how MOSAIC data are used in relation to the Neighbourhood Renewal Evaluation.

Sadiq Khan: The information requested is as follows:
	 Acorn :
	 (a) The CLG monthly house price index is a hedonic mix-adjusted index. The mix-adjustment weights are updated on an annual basis using a variety of variables. One of the variables is type of neighbourhood. This is produced by linking the house price dataset to Acorn data via the postcode.
	 (b) The distribution of formula grant takes into account the relative needs and relative resources of an authority relative to all other authorities providing the same service. There is also a central allocation and floor damping mechanism. The formulae used in the distribution system cover a wide range of socio-economic and demographic indicators
	For the 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 settlement, Acorn data have been used for indicators that are used within the Police Relative Needs Formula (RNF) and the Fire and Rescue RNF.
	Annex D of the Local Government Finance Report (England) 2008-09 (HC 262) contains the description of each of the indicators used in the calculation of the allocation of formula grant.
	 (c) Recent analysis of the Citizenship Survey has not used Acorn data. Analysis using Acorn was last carried out using 2003 and 2005 data as reported in the annual reports. More recently, data are analysed using classifications such as the new Index of Multiple Deprivation, urban/rural, and social class. However, we provide Acorn in the publicly available Citizenship Survey dataset as we recognise that local area characteristics can play an important role in cohesion and data users may wish to use this.
	 Mosaic:
	The National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal Evaluation requires the identification and analysis of socio-economic trends at small spatial scales (i.e. Lower Level Super Output Areas—LSOA) which is why the Department's contractors, Amion Consulting, have used Mosaic group data provided by Experian as it provides a typology of areas. It was initially used as part of the modelling analysis but was ultimately set aside due to extensive correlation with other socio-economic variables and consequential statistical problems.
	The Mosaic typology is based on a series of datasets assembled by Experian. Two of these datasets have also been used in the Evaluation:
	The ethnic origins dataset—which was also set aside in preference to Census data but is being used to identify areas with high concentrations of particular ethnic groups for subsequent analysis; and
	the length of residence dataset—which was employed as part of the transition-modelling process as it provides an indicative measure of population churn (identified as an important factor in influencing area change).

Economic and Monetary Union

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the Communities and Local Government euro changeover plan 2007.

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's most recent Euro changeover Plan; and on what date the plan was last updated.

Sadiq Khan: The Communities and Local Government Euro Changeover Plan was placed in the Library in February 2006.
	There has been no change of note to Communities and Local Government, its agencies and NDPB's Euro Changeover Plans since then.
	The Department has therefore not produced a further version of such plans.

Economic Situation: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what briefing notes the Minister for the East of England has received on the business environment in Hertfordshire since 1 August 2008.

Sadiq Khan: The Regional Minister receives regular briefing on a range of issues which impact on the business and economic environment across the region and within Hertfordshire.

Empty Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 19 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 1201-2W, on empty property, if she will place in the Library a copy of the most recent list of vacant domestic dwellings, broken down by  (a) local authority and  (b) ward.

Iain Wright: The most recent statistics on vacant dwellings at local authority level are for October 2008 and these have been placed in the Library. The latest statistics on vacant dwellings published at ward level are for April 2005. These are on the Office for National Statistics' Neighbourhood Statistics website at:
	http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/datasetList.do?JSAllowed=true&Function=&%24ph=60&CurrentPageId=60&step=1&CurrentTreeIndex=-1&searchString=&datasetFamilyId=1618&Next.x=11&Next.y=16
	Statistics for 2006, 2007 and 2008 are due for publication later this year.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1146W, on housing: sustainable development, if she will place in the Library a copy of BS 5906:2005.

Iain Wright: BS 5906:2005 waste management in buildings is one of the many standards that are produced and published by BSI—British Standards, a division of the BSI Group. BSI Group is non profit making and all profits are reinvested to create new standards. The documents are not published by my Department and as such I am unable to place a copy in the Library. All BS standards are available to view in the British Library or in the BSI Library in Chiswick (for a nominal fee). They are also available on the BSI website at:
	http://www.bsigroup.com/en/standards-and-publications/online-subscription-products/BSOL

Local Government: Repairs and Maintenance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to fund the floor damping system from central government funds.

John Healey: Floor damping is already met from central Government funds. It ensures that every authority in England will receive at least a minimum increase in formula grant year-on-year on a like-for-like basis i.e. after adjusting for changes in funding and function. The cost of the floor is paid for by scaling back grant increases above the floor. This provides stability, while allowing some of the underlying change in grant to come through.
	We consulted in 2005 on the mechanism for floor damping. The overwhelming majority of responses to the consultation preferred the existing system for funding the floor, by scaling back grant increases above the floor, and we accepted this as the way forward.

Ordnance Survey: Visits Abroad

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 1150-1W, on Ordnance Survey: visits abroad, what the purpose was of each visit.

Iain Wright: A table showing the countries and cities visited by Ordnance Survey in the time period specified along with the purpose for each visit has been deposited in the Library. In some cases the location listed was an intermediate business stop during a longer journey to other listed destinations.

Partnerships UK

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what remuneration Baroness Margaret Ford has received for her work for Partnerships UK on surplus public sector land in 2008-09.

Iain Wright: This Department has not provided any direct remuneration to Baroness Ford.
	Partnerships UK is a dedicated centre of expertise available to the public sector to provide strategic support for delivering successful projects and programmes and has an established framework agreement with Communities and Local Government. Communities and Local Government contracted with Partnerships UK, using its framework agreement, to provide work required by the Government to increase the pace of change in the surplus public sector land programme. The maximum fee payable to Partnerships UK for this work is £75,000 plus VAT. Partnerships UK in turn contracted with the Royal Bank of Canada Europe Limited to provide specialist advice in relation to that commission. Baroness Ford is employed by the Bank as its director of social infrastructure and has specialist knowledge of housing and regeneration. The contractual relationship that Communities and Local Government entered into was with Partnerships UK and this Department is not a party to their contractual arrangements with the Royal Bank of Canada, nor to the Bank's contractual arrangements with Baroness Ford.

Development Aid

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure that the Government's policy on attachment of economic policy conditions to aid and debt relief is extended to multilateral lenders, with particular reference to the IMF and World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Countries debt relief initiative.

Michael Foster: The UK's policy is clear that conditionality must not be used to impose policy on governments and that conditions should be limited to issues essential to ensure programmes are successful. The UK continues to press the World Bank and IMF to reform their conditionality practice in line with our approach and we have had some success. The World Bank has stopped using prescriptive conditionality and has adopted good practice principles on conditionality. These provide clear guidelines to staff and emphasise a need for country ownership and fewer conditions. The IMF also agreed to limit the number of conditions used, to justify each condition and focus on major macroeconomic issues.
	The Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative provides large scale irrevocable debt cancellation. It is therefore essential that we can have confidence that debt relief will be used in ways that will benefit poor people. Conditions are agreed with each country, focussing debt relief on poverty reduction, economic management and financial accountability. The UK has pressed the World Bank and IMF to ensure conditions reflect countries' priorities and are applied flexibly where appropriate. Several countries have received their debt cancellation without having met all triggers,
	but when strong overall progress had clearly been made.

Departmental Advertising

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many advertisements to attract students into higher education were placed by his Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997; how many were placed  (a) in print newspapers and magazines,  (b) on a website and  (c) on television and radio; and what the cost was in each case.

David Lammy: The information requested of the Department is as follows. The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was formed in June 2007, following the machinery of government changes, since this date/and as a result we are only able to provide information from June 2007. In 2007/08 DIUS spent £2,859,791 and in 2008/09 is budgeted to spend £2,255,791 on all advertising to attract students into higher education.
	The breakdown is as follows
	
		
			  2007/08 (actual spend) 
			   £ 
			  (a) Newspapers and magazines  
			 Newspapers 460,000 
			 Magazines 31,703 
			   
			  (b) Online/website 160,000 
			  (c) TV and  radio  ( budgeted)  
			 TV 1,145,813 
			 Radio 374,173 
		
	
	
		
			  2008/09 (budgeted) 
			   £ 
			  (a) Newspapers and magazines  
			 Magazines 43,907 
			   
			  (b) Online/website 180,000 
			   
			  (c) TV and radio  
			 TV 1,201,851 
			 Radio 395,149

Mass Media

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the cost of his Department's contracts with press monitoring services was in each of the last five years.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills' (DIUS) media monitoring is supplied by Energy Data Service Limited (EDS) and the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU).
	DIUS was formed on 28 June 2007 as a result of the machinery of government changes. Information on the costs of contracts for the provision of media monitoring services to DIUS is therefore only available for the current financial year.
	Available figures for the annual costs of each contract are as follows:
	 EDS
	2008/09: 39,943 (to date)
	 MMU
	2008/09: 42,125 (annual subscription).

Cabinet Office Leadership Conference

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who attended the Cabinet Office Leadership Conference on 17 March 2008; who the speakers were; and what the agenda was.

Tom Watson: The event on 17 March was for the senior civil servants working in the Cabinet Office. The speakers were drawn from the Cabinet Office Board. Delegates were informed of the outcome of the Cabinet Office's People Survey 2007. The agenda covered the key challenges for the Cabinet Office.

Departmental Surveys

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster with reference to staff survey response metric of the capable departments key performance indicator for Cabinet Office Departmental Strategic Objective 5, what proportion of civil servants in his Department  (a) agreed and  (b) disagreed with the statement that (i) this organisation as a whole is well-managed and (b) overall I have confidence in the senior managers in my organisation in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Tom Watson: Details of the results of the latest Cabinet Office People Survey 2007 are published on the Civil Service website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/iam/staff_surveys.asp
	A copy of this information has been placed in the Library.

Public Appointments: Parliamentary Scrutiny

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will include in the list of posts deemed suitable for pre-appointment scrutiny all  (a) public sector regulators,  (b) permanent secretaries of Government departments,  (c) heads of the judiciary and  (d) heads of the police and security services.

Kevin Brennan: The list of posts suitable for pre-appointment hearings was agreed with the Liaison Committee and published on 2 June 2008 in Pre-appointment hearings by select committees: Government Response to the Committee's First Report of Session 2007-08 (HC594). There are no plans to amend the list.

EU Posted Workers Directive

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the provisions of the EU Posted Workers Directive relating to wage rates for posted workers.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, North-West (John Robertson).

Small Businesses: Government Assistance

Brian Binley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent representations he has received from small businesses on Government assistance to them.

Ian Pearson: My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, Ministers and Officials are in regular contact with small businesses and their representatives on many issues, including Government support programmes.

Departmental Marketing

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 4 February 2008,  Official Report, column 894W, on departmental marketing, what expenditure on promotional products by the Insolvency Service has been since February 2008; and what branding appeared on each of the Insolvency Service branded  (a) pens,  (b) clocks,  (c) mugs and  (d) USB memory sticks procured in this period.

Patrick McFadden: The Insolvency Service has spent approximately 8,000 on departmental promotional products since February 2008.
	The Insolvency Service has produced pens and mugs with the Insolvency Service logo. No clocks or USB sticks have been procured during this period.

Departmental Marketing

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 4 February 2008,  Official Report, column 894W, on departmental marketing, what branding or logos were published on each of the branded Insolvency Service  (a) pens,  (b) clocks,  (c) mugs and  (d) USB memory sticks.

Patrick McFadden: The Insolvency Service has produced pens and mugs with the agency's logo and the strapline working well together and your views matter.
	No clocks or memory sticks were purchased during this period.

Economic and Monetary Union

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the Answer of 17 July 2008,  Official Report, column 694W, on Economic and Monetary Union, whether his Department's updating of its euro changeover plan has been completed; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version.

Patrick McFadden: BERR's euro transition plan is being updated to reflect recent machinery of Government changes. When completed, we will place a copy in the Library.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

David Chaytor: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions his Department has had with other Government departments on its review of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations.

Ian Pearson: The Department has had extensive discussions on the review of the waste electrical and electronic equipment regulations with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and devolved administrations.

Housing: Low Incomes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 30 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1271W, on housing: low incomes, which programmes  (a) will not be proceeded with and  (b) will receive reduced funding following the redirection of 300 million from the regional development agency budgets.

Patrick McFadden: The RDAs are working closely with Government to respond to the current economic challenges. Tough decisions had to be taken over the 300 million budget changes. The Government have also asked RDAs to refocus their budgets to concentrate on support for businesses in their regions. In reshaping its corporate plan for the period ahead, each RDA will be assessing with key partners and regional stakeholders, in the light of their regional economic strategy, how the cuts will impact and how best they can be mitigated and how best to maintain key priorities.

Members: Correspondence

Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the Secretary of State plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Christchurch of 10 December 2008 on the loss of overseas business from a firm in his constituency.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 29 January 2009
	Officials are consulting with colleagues in the Home Office on this matter. I will respond to the hon. Member shortly.

Regional Development Agencies: Consultants

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 24 November 2008,  Official  Report, column 1114W, on the Regional Development Agency National Secretariat, on which external public affairs firms or consultants spending was incurred; and for what purposes each was engaged.

Patrick McFadden: The total expenditure of the National Secretariat on external public affairs firms or consultants amounts to a sum of 29,397. This was paid to Linstock Communications for an analysis of RDA national newspaper coverage during an 18 month period from 1 April 2006 to 1 October 2007.

Wind Power

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with power generation companies on the interference of wind power generators with television signal reception.

Patrick McFadden: Neither I, nor my right hon. Friends, the Secretaries of State for Energy and Climate Change or Culture, Media and Sport, or our officials have had any recent discussions with power generation companies on the interference of wind power generators with television signal reception.
	This is essentially a planning matter. Paragraph 64 of the Technical Annex to the Government's Policy Planning Statement (PPS) 22
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/147447.pdf
	states that
	provided careful attention is paid to siting, wind turbines should not cause any significant problems of electromagnetic interference i.e. adverse effects on communication systems which use electromagnetic waves as the transmission medium (e.g. television, radio or microwave links).
	However, it is a requirement of the consenting process for onshore wind farms that the developer addresses any issues relating to possible interference with television signal reception.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 10W, on education maintenance allowance, if he will publish the daily processing statistics on the education maintenance allowance which his Department has received from the Learning and Skills Council since September 2008.

Jim Knight: I have regularly written to update the Select Committee on the delivery of the education maintenance allowance (EMA). Those updates have been copied to the hon. Member and copies placed in the Libraries. In the most recent update, dated 28 January, I reported that as of 23 January over 520,000 young people had received EMA payments in this academic year. This is over 1,000 more than at this time last year.
	As I also reported in my letter of 28 January, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Capita are confident that they have accurate data on the numbers of EMA learners enrolled and those in payment. However, they have advised that the data on the number of applicants may include double counting. The LSC has therefore commissioned Capita to carry out a data-matching exercise to eliminate duplicates.
	Given the possibility that the data on applicant numbers may be inaccurate, it would not be helpful or in the public interest to publish the daily statistical reports that the Department received from the LSC between September 2008 and January 2009. The key figure is the number receiving payment, which I have regularly provided.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applications for education maintenance allowance were lost between 1 August 2008 and 31 December 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Mark Haysom the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the both Libraries.

Families at Risk Review

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the written ministerial statement of 10 January 2008,  Official Report, column 15WS, on the Families at Risk review, which recommendations from the report  (a) have and  (b) have not been implemented.

Beverley Hughes: The Government Departments responsible for implementing the Families at Risk Review's recommendations are the Department of Work and Pensions, the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, HM Treasury, the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills, Communities and Local Government, the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Schools and Families. Reports on progress will be issued in due course.

Pre-School Education

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effects of the extension in free entitlement to nursery care on the children who receive it.

Beverley Hughes: We are extending the free early education entitlement from 12.5 hours to 15 hours delivered more flexibly in all local authorities by September 2010.
	We are rolling out the extension in a staged approach. 20 pathfinder local authorities have been delivering the extended flexible entitlement since April 2007, assessing the demand for different patterns of provision, and exploring ways of working that enable greater flexibility in a diverse childcare market. An additional 14 local authorities began delivery in September 2008. The extended offer will be available to the 25 per cent. most deprived children in every local authority from September 2009, and will be universal entitlement from September 2010.
	The Department has commissioned external research to evaluate the demand for and deliverability of the extended flexible entitlement in Pathfinder local authorities and its impact on parents. The research will be published in the spring.
	We already know from research that high quality early learning makes a real difference to children's development with lasting effects throughout primary school and that the free entitlement for three- and four-year-olds allows parents to access child care as a route to work and training, lifting more children out of poverty.

Schools: ICT

Ken Purchase: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what powers Partnership for Schools has to prevent individual schools opting out of proposals for authority-wide ICT programmes in favour of submitting an Alternative Business Procurement Case.

Jim Knight: Partnerships for Schools do not have powers to prevent a school opting out of proposals for authority-wide ICT programmes. Where a school wishes to opt out of the managed service it must submit an Alternative Business Procurement Case. This must demonstrate that the schools alternative provision will be at least of an equivalent standard to the managed service proposed by the local authority, that it is able to link up to the area-wide solution, and that it passes a value for money test to ensure taxpayers' money is being well spent.

Schools: Music

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  with reference to his Department's press release of 21 November 2008, on funding for music in schools, how many new musical instruments have been bought with the funds announced;
	(2)  how much of the planned 40 million expenditure over four years on new musical instruments announced by his Department on 21 November 2007 has been spent.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Music Instrument Fund (MIF) was introduced in 2007-08 and provides 10 million a year (capital grant) for LAs to purchase instruments for instrumental learning at key stage 2 or transitional programmes beyond key stage 2. In November 2007 it was announced that the 10 million grant would continue to 2011, hence the 40 million.
	In 2007-08 local authorities claimed 9.97 million and 99,892 instruments were purchased. In 2008-09, 8.25million of the total allocation has already been claimed by local authorities and over 94,000 instruments purchased.

Social Services: Haringey

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 936W, on Social Services: Haringey, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of each Ofsted inspection of Haringey council's children's social services since 2000.

Beverley Hughes: Copies of Ofsted's inspection reports and assessments of Haringey's children's social services are available on Ofsted's website. The following links are provided at:
	 Joint Area Reviews
	10 October 2006
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/la_download/(id)/1446/(as)/JAR/jar_2006_309_fr.pdf
	1 December 2008
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/la_download/(id)/4657/(as)/JAR/jar_2008_309_fr.pdf
	 Annual Performance Assessments
	1 December 2005
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/la_download/(id)/258/(as)/APA/apa_2005_309.pdf
	26 November 2007
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/la_download/(id)/3060/(as)/APA/apa_2007_309.pdf
	17 December 2008
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/la_download/(id)/4687/(as)/APA/apa_2008_309.pdf
	 Fostering services
	25 January 2008
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/la_download/(id)/5041/(as)/SC/SC_SC042906_20032008.pdf
	30 January 2008
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_providers/la_download/(id)/6180/(as)/SC/SC_SC072906_08032008.pdf
	Copies have also been placed in the Library.

Young, Gifted and Talented Programme

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2008,  Official Report, column 1126W, on Young, Gifted and Talented Programme, what percentage of pupils aged between  (a) four and 10 and  (b) 11 and 18 are participating in the Young, Gifted and Talented Programme in each local authority.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Reliable data cannot be provided because, as indicated in the reply of 18 December 2008,  Official Report, column 1126W, the relevant local authority can be confirmed only for less than one-third of pupils registered with the Young Gifted and Talented (YG and T) Learner Academy.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what subsequent support is available to people who successfully complete NHS alcoholic treatment courses;
	(2)  how many people  (a) have and  (b) have not successfully completed NHS alcoholic treatment courses in (i) Ribble Valley and (ii) England in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: On 1 April 2008, a National Alcohol Treatment Monitoring System (NATMS) begun operation to collect and report local and national information on the provision of structured care-planned treatment for alcohol misuse in England. Prior to 1 April 2008 there was no routine collection of data on numbers receiving alcohol treatment in England.
	The first year's data will be reported in October 2009 and will include data on the number of individuals who have completed their treatment; however, this is a new system and it may not be possible at this early stage to accurately report the number of successfully completed treatments.
	Furthermore, the data are unlikely to represent a complete picture of alcohol misusers receiving treatment. They primarily represent contact with specialist alcohol treatment services, and are therefore unlikely to include a significant number of alcohol misusers who receive interventions in primary care and/or accident and emergency departments.
	Limited NATMS data is reported on the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System website, at
	www.ndtms.net/alcohol.aspx,
	the currently available data, for those in structured care-planned treatment and for discharges, is given as follows for England and North West strategic health authority (SHA), which includes the constituency of Ribble Valley:
	
		
			   North West SHA  England 
			   Number in treatment  Discharges  Number in treatment  Discharges 
			  2008 
			 April 7,998 874 47,011 5,594 
			 May 8,554 1,037 48,206 5,495 
			 June 9,010 1,175 49,998 6,032 
			 July 9,464 1,180 51,591 6,562 
			 August 9,584 1,112 51,389 5,481 
			 September 9,802 1,109 52,865 5,885 
			 October 10,014 1,041 54,070 5,891 
			 November 9,890 721 53,280 4,172 
		
	
	It is important to note that data for November 2008 is likely to be an under-representation due to the time it takes to verify the data; additionally, there is likely to be an overall under-representation as NATMS is not yet fully established.
	We know that for some alcohol dependence can be a relapsing condition and that aftercare following the completion of treatment is needed to ensure that they maintain the benefits gained from their treatment and do not return to their previous higher-risk drinking habits.
	To aid commissioners and providers in delivering effective interventions and treatment for adults affected by alcohol misuse, the Department and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse jointly published, in June 2006, best practice guidance, Models of care for alcohol misusers (MoCAM). A copy has been placed in the Library.
	MoCAM advises that commissioners take into account the role of aftercare in helping individuals maintain the gains they have made from alcohol treatment. Aftercare can involve:
	psychosocial therapies;
	support with housing, employment and family relationships;
	structured activates, designed to monitor progress, build on successes, identify problems and ways to overcome them; and
	mutual aid and self help groups.

Allergies: Research

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 223-24W, on allergies: research, which aspects of allergy research his Department intends to prioritise; and what criteria are used in the allocation of funding for such research.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government's investment in health research in England is channelled through the Department via its Policy Research Programme and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council. Their usual practice is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. Each organisation welcomes applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made.
	NIHR programmes identify and prioritise topics for research taking account of the views of those who work in, manage and develop policy for the national health service and of patients and the public. The NIHR website (www.nihr.ac.uk) provides an overview of the institute's role and functions and detailed descriptions of its various funding streams.

Dementia: Carers

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support is available to carers of those diagnosed with dementia.

Phil Hope: The National Dementia Strategy, published February 2009, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, highlights the need to support carers of those diagnosed with dementia. We will do this by taking forward the Carers' Strategy.
	The Carers' Strategy, Carers at the heart of 21(st) century families and communities, published in June 2008, recognises the increasingly important role that carers play in our society and acknowledges that all carers, including carers of those diagnosed with dementia, need more help and support than has been available in the past. A copy has already been placed in the Library. The strategy contains a number of commitments including information and advice, new break provision and a recognition that family carers should be involved in decisions about treatment and support.

HIV Infection: Blood

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 962W, on blood: contamination, and with reference to the answer of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 362-3W, on HIV infection: blood, what analysis his Department has made of the reasons for the rate of reported deaths of haemophiliacs who contracted HIV as a result of taking contaminated blood products under the NHS between 2007.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not made any analysis of the reasons for the rate of reported deaths of haemophiliacs who contracted HIV as a result of contaminated blood products between 2007 and January 2009.
	The figures reported in the answer given on 25 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 362-3W (399 haemophiliacs alive in 2007) came from the United Kingdom haemophilia centre doctors' organisation (UKHCDO). The figures reported in the answer given on 15 January 2009,  Official Report, column 962W (345 haemophiliacs alive at the end of 2008), came from the MacFarlane Trust. Neither source can be sure their information is complete and accurate. UKHCDO acknowledge that their figures are likely to be an overestimate, while not all patients will have registered with the MacFarlane Trust.
	These figures do not mean that over 40 patients died during the period in question, because the organisations source their data in different ways.
	The UKHCDO and the MacFarlane Trust are aware of these discrepancies, and both organisations have agreed to work together in order to try to harmonise relevant data while maintaining strict confidentiality.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to reduce NHS waiting lists in  (a) England and  (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Ben Bradshaw: From 1 January 2009, the operational delivery standards for the national health service in England are that 95 per cent. of non admitted and 90 per cent. of admitted patients will start treatment within 18 weeks of referral. These standards allow for patents who choose to wait longer or where it is clinically appropriate for patients to wait longer.
	At a national level, figures for November 2008, which are the latest available, show the majority of patients are already being seen within 18 weeks of referral. 90 per cent. of patients whose treatment involved admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks and 96 per cent. of patients whose treatment did not involve admission to hospital started their treatment within 18 weeks. The median wait for in-patient treatment has fallen to 8.1 weeks from 18.8 weeks in 1997. November data is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/18WeeksReferraltoTreatmentstatistics/index.htm
	Figures for November 2008, which are the latest available, covering the primary care trusts and NHS trusts within the NHS North East strategic health authority (SHA), which includes the Middlesbrough and Cleveland area are set out in the tables.
	Delivery of the 18-week operational standard will reduce unnecessary delays and improve the experience that patients have of elective care and the quality of the service that they receive.
	
		
			  18 w eeks monthly RTT collection: November 2008 Commissioner returnsRTT times for completed admitted pathways 
			  SHA  Name  Treatment function code  Treatment function  Total (all)  Total (known clock start)  Total (known clock start) within 18 weeks  Percentage within 18 weeks (column  BI /column BH) 
			 Q30 North East SHA AA999 Total 15,811 15,809 14,474 91.56 
			  Notes: 1. Referral to treatment (RTT) times for patients whose 18 week clock stopped during the month with an in-patient/day case admission. 2. It is important to view this performance data in conjunction with the data completeness assessment score for each organisation. 
		
	
	
		
			  18 weeks monthly RTT collection: November 2008 Commissioner returnsRTT times for completed admitted pathways 
			  SHA  Code  Commissioner  Treatment function code  Treatment function  Total (all)  Total (known clock start)  Total (known clock start) within 18 weeks  Percentage with in 18 weeks (column BJ/column BI ) 
			 Q30 5D7 Newcastle PCT AA999 Total 1,316 1,316 1,134 86.17 
			 Q30 5D8 North Tyneside PCT AA999 Total 1,232 1,232 1,105 89.69 
			 Q30 5D9 Hartlepool PCT AA999 Total 580 580 550 94.83 
			 Q30 5E1 North Tees PCT AA999 Total 1,235 1,234 1,155 93.60 
			 Q30 5J9 Darlington PCT AA999 Total 633 633 607 95.89 
			 Q30 5KF Gateshead PCT AA999 Total 970 970 879 90.62 
			 Q30 5KG South Tyneside PCT AA999 Total 1,055 1,055 960 91.00 
			 Q30 5KL Sunderland Teaching PCT AA999 Total 1,846 1,845 1,654 89.65 
			 Q30 5KM Middlesbrough PCT AA999 Total 909 909 855 94.06 
			 Q30 5ND County Durham PCT AA999 Total 3,280 3,280 3,030 92.38 
			 Q30 5QR Redcar and Cleveland PCT AA999 Total 829 829 771 93.00 
			 Q30 TAC Northumberland Care PCT AA999 Total 1,926 1,926 1,774 92.11 
		
	
	
		
			  SHA  Code  Commissioner  Treatment function code  Treatment function  Total (all)  Total (known clock start)  Total (known clock start) within 18 weeks  Percentage with in 18 weeks (column BJ/column BI ) 
			 Q30 5D7 Newcastle PCT NP999 Total 4,575 4,574 4,377 95.69 
			 Q30 5D8 North Tyneside PCT NP999 Total 3,234 3,234 3,078 95.18 
			 Q30 5D9 Hartlepool PCT NP999 Total 1,281 1,281 1,254 97.89 
			 Q30 5E1 North Tees PCT NP999 Total 2,612 2,611 2,578 98.74 
			 Q30 5J9 Darlington PCT NP999 Total 1,699 1,699 1,667 98.12 
			 Q30 5KF Gateshead PCT NP999 Total 3,592 3,591 3,437 95.71 
			 Q30 5KG South Tyneside PCT NP999 Total 3,023 3,023 2,924 96.73 
			 Q30 5KL Sunderland Teaching PCT NP999 Total 4,684 4,684 4,501 96.09 
			 Q30 5KM Middlesbrough PCT NP999 Total 2,155 2,155 2,115 98.14 
			 Q30 5KM Middlesbrough PCT NPX01 Other 586 586 578 98.63 
			 Q30 5ND County Durham PCT NP999 Total 8,335 8,335 8,073 96.86 
			 Q30 5QR Redcar and Cleveland PCT NP999 Total 2,121 2,121 2,102 99.10 
			 Q30 TAC Northumberland Care PCT NP999 Total 4,339 4,339 4,154 95.74 
			  Notes: 1. Referral to treatment (RTT) times for patients whose 18 week clock stopped during the month with an in-patient/day case admission. 2. It is important to view this performance data in conjunction with the data completeness assessment score for each organisation.

Medical Treatments

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's definition is of directly observed treatment (DOT); under what circumstances DOT is  (a) recommended and  (b) mandatory; and if will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Directly observed treatment (DOT) is one of the components of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) tuberculosis (TB) control strategy.
	The Department recommends that TB services follow the guidelines developed by the national institute for health and clinical excellence (NICE). NICE define DOT as 'direct observation by a health professional or other person such as a family member, where swallowing of the medication is observed'. DOT may also include increased contact between the care provider and patient, support and provision of incentives (e.g. food vouchers).
	NICE guidelines indicate that the use of DOT is not usually necessary in the management of most cases of TB, but all patients should have a risk assessment for adherence to treatment.
	DOT is recommended for patients who have adverse factors on their risk assessment, in particular:
	streetor shelterdwelling homeless patients with active TB
	TB patients with serious mental illness
	TB patients with drug-resistances
	TB patients with likely poor adherence, in particular those who have a history of non-adherence
	In 2007, the Department initiated a 'Tind and Treat' (F and T) project to actively look for cases of TB among the homeless and other vulnerable groups in London, and to promote the use of DOT, which provides supervised medication and support to patients to improve adherence to treatment. Currently, the F and T team is helping over 300 people with TB who have challenging lifestyles to complete their treatment.
	DOT is not mandatory. The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 stipulates that a justice of the peace may, under certain circumstances, order that an individual undergo medical examination or be removed to or detained in a hospital. No-one can be forced to undertake medical treatment.

MMR Vaccine

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) males and  (b) females aged under 18 in each strategic health authority area who have not been immunised against measles, mumps and rubella;
	(2)  how many children in each strategic health authority area had not received measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: The Information Centre for Health and Social Care publishes annual reports which include tables of the percentage of children immunised with measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at two and five years of age in each strategic health authority. A copy of the most recent annual report, 'NHS Immunisation Statistics 2007-08', has been placed in the Library. Copies of the reports titled; 'NHS Immunisation Statistics, England, 2003-04', 'NHS Immunisation Statistics, England, 2004-05', 'NHS Immunisation Statistics, England, 2005-06', and 'NHS Immunisation Statistics, England, 2006-07' have already been placed in the Library.
	Data on gender is not collected.

NHS: Translation Services

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS interpreters in Waltham Forest primary care trust cost for  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

Ann Keen: The data requested is not collected centrally. National health service bodies are not required to report their planned or actual spending on interpretation and translation services to the Department. When planning such services, NHS bodies should take account of their legal duties, the composition of the communities they serve, and the needs and circumstances of their patients, service users and local populations.

Animal Experiments

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the number of animals bred for use in animal scientific procedures but not used for such purposes and put down in 2008.

Meg Hillier: We do not record the number of animals bred for use in procedures regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act but not used for such purposes and then put down. We have made no estimate of numbers for 2008. Other statistical data on animal use in 2008 under the 1986 Act is currently being collected and, when completed, will be laid before Parliament.

Driving Under Influence

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 19 December 2008,  Official Report, column 1076W, on driving under the influence, when she expects the statistics for the number of breathalyser tests by  (a) month and  (b) region for (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008 to be published.

Alan Campbell: Statistics relating to 2007 for the number of breathalyser tests by month and region will be published within the annual statistical bulletin covering Motoring Offences and Breath Test Statistics, England and Wales. This bulletin is due for publication in spring 2009. No date has yet been set for the release of the 2008 data.

Theft

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of  (a) theft and  (b) retail theft have been reported in (i) England and (ii) North Yorkshire in each year since 2000.

Alan Campbell: The number of police recorded crimes for the main offence groups of 'offences against vehicles' and 'other theft offences (excluding shoplifting)', and separate figures for shoplifting, are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of offences recorded by the police, 1999-2000 to 2001-02 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			  England
			 Offences against vehicles 1,046,121 985,250 1,018,942 
			 Other theft offences (excluding shoplifting) 800,529 791,889 866,451 
			 Shoplifting 278,243 279,198 291,689 
			 
			  North Yorkshire PFA
			 Offences against vehicles 9,807 8,725 9,216 
			 Other theft offences (excluding shoplifting) 10,466 10,117 11,657 
			 Shoplifting 4,053 3,949 4,303 
			  Note: The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS). These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of offences recorded by the police, 2002-03 to 2007-08 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  England   
			 Offences against vehicles 1,012,945 925,999 770,157 745,016 718,990 617,815 
			 Other theft offences (excluding shoplifting) 949,485 947,646 894,673 864,305 822,600 770,177 
			 Shoplifting 294,062 286,440 265,789 279,908 278,241 274,168 
			
			  North Yorkshire PFA   
			 Offences against vehicles 10,697 10,614 7,463 7,938 7,057 5,597 
			 Other theft offences (excluding shoplifting) 13,059 13,826 11,114 10,343 9,613 9,022 
			 Shoplifting 4,604 4,966 3,607 3,725 3,629 3,692 
			  Note: The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.